Undeniable proof that rhythm is universal will be shown tonight when Brazilian percussion guru Cyro Baptista and Beat the Donkey rumble and shake their way into the Newport. While there are no donkeys involved – “Beat the Donkey” is Brazilian slang for “Let’s go, let’s do it!” – the cast, currently at seven, makes up what Baptista refers to as a “musical United Nations.”

The show includes performers from at least four continents who weave components of their compositions together seamlessly.

For Baptista, it’s his turn now to play leader as he has spent more than 20 years in America adding his voice to artists as diverse as Paul Simon, Sting, Yo-Yo Ma, Trey Anastasio and Herbie Hancock.

Blowing his whistle like a call to arms, Baptista riles up the group to open the show with a tribal exchange of drum sounds akin to those that could be heard on the streets of Rio during Carnival. From there, music flows fluidly in and out of numerous genres.

Rock and roll is signified through the paisley Telecaster strummed by Brazilian Viva De Concini. She found the group through people she met while playing samba guitar at dance class in New York City.

The guitar quiets and a thin man in black leather with a tribal tattoo on his abdomen jumps to the front and displays his specialty, tap dancing combined with body percussion. Max Pollack came from Austria and spends his time outside of BTD trying to raise his family by teaching others his art.

Pollack takes his wild dance to one side and makes room for Chikako Iwahori, a small Japanese woman who steps in and they continue together. Iwahori’s dance only the first of her roles in BTD. Later, the group flows into gamelan, Indonesian music performed on bronze kettle drums, and Iwahori is there to provide theatrics through sword dancing.

The percussive aspects of BTD are unquestionably Brazilian but the backbeat is held steady by Israeli drummer Amir Ziv. Other beats are created mostly with Brazilian drums and noise makers that Baptista has been collectedthrough the years.

Ze Mauricio mainly uses one of the larger Brazilian drums. He enjoys the diversity of the group because it’s usually good for a laugh.

“You see people from totally different cultures do things that you would never imagine; the people in the band are very funny. It makes [being] together easier, that’s the main thing,” Mauricio said.

One of Baptista’s unusual instruments is a 10-drum apparatus that resembles a tree. On each side of the “trunk” are five small drums played all at once by pressing down one or both levers located below the drums. Originally, the inventor of the drum tree tried to persuade Baptista not to bring this instrument to America, but instead to bring a different invention he was certain would make him rich – a machine to knot neckties.

“Token American” Tim Keiper mans the drum tree. He met Baptista by being a renegade student in a class Baptista was teaching at New York’s New School University. Keiper would sneak in after attendance was taken, and at the end of the semester Baptista invited him to rehearsals that led to his current position in this diverse group.

“It’s just amazing how people from all over the world can get together and get along so well. I feel like I get along with these people better than anybody I ever met from my town, you know,”Keiper said. “Everyone has such a unique personality and everyone’s really into having a good time.”

Tickets for the event are $10 and are still available at Ticketmaster or the Newport box office.